Facebook Tests Online Stores For Pages, Gets Set To Take On Amazon With A Buy Button
Facebook began testing a new feature that allows business owners to sell directly from their fan pages, effectively turning those pages into stores. The new feature allows businesses to either add a buy button to their pages or send users directly to their websites. Only a small number of page users are using the new feature. It is an attempt by Facebook to take on online retail giant Amazon.
Facebook calls it F-commerce. Since Facebook is the second most visited website in the world, as listed in Alexa, it receives a lot of traffic. It is following a similar trend that sites like Google, Pinterest, and Twitter are following by trying to incorporate more e-commerce into its site.
As reported in The Courier Mail, Facebook doesn’t take a cut of the sales. The purpose is to attract new advertisers to the site because Facebook’s primary means of earning revenue is advertising sales. E-commerce experts question whether or not consumers will respond to the change since Facebook is primarily known for its social, and not shopping aspects.
The Press Examiner said that in a report from Buzzfeed that the transactions will take place inside Facebook instead of the merchant’s site. Previously, Facebook added money transfer features to its messenger service as well. With more and more consumers using smartphones, Facebook is capitalizing on the fact that those who socialize on Facebook use it in different ways. Site users can use the Facebook phone app to access fan pages as well as other features available on the desktop version of the site. Although it is unclear how the setup works, the report said brands would change the way they use Facebook.
“The setup may cause brands to use Facebook in a way more aligned with what they do, selling stuff, than the content-driven approach they embraced by chaining graphic designers to desks during the Super Bowl and having them create real-time marketing memes.”
Facebook tried various e-commerce solutions in the past, and most of them have fallen flat. One of the solutions included stores on Facebook. Although the conversion rates were high inside the stores, site users seldom ever saw them. Game Spot attempted to sell on the site and closed its online store within six months.
As previously reported in Inquisitr, Facebook is trying to challenge YouTube by offering revenue sharing for video to a limited number of major brands. It is unclear when the roll out of video revenue will be available to all merchants who are on Facebook.
[Photo Credit Mashable]
